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TNPSC Sangam age practice questions with answers

By the PrepMatic team · Updated 9 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

The Sangam age is the opening chapter of Unit VI, History, Culture, Heritage and Socio-Political Movements of Tamil Nadu, which carries about 20 of the 75 General Studies questions in the Group 4 and Group 2 prelims papers (TNPSC says the unit split is only indicative). It is also the part of Tamil Nadu history that a Tamil-medium student usually already knows from school. The five questions below test literature, geography and the three crowned kingdoms. More on the whole subject is in TNPSC Tamil Nadu History, Culture and Heritage.

What this topic covers

• Sangam literature: the Tolkappiyam, the Ettuthokai (Eight Anthologies), the Pattuppattu (Ten Idylls) and the Pathinenkilkanakku (Eighteen Minor Works, which include the Thirukkural).
• The three kingdoms: Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas, with their capitals, ports and emblems.
• Landscapes (thinai): the five regions and their deities.
• Society and trade: pearl fishery, overseas trade and the ports through which it ran.

Sample questions

Question 1

The oldest available Tamil grammar work is the:

• A. Tolkappiyam
• B. Nannul
• C. Yapparungalam
• D. Silappathikaram

Question 2

In the Sangam five-fold landscape, the hilly region is called:

• A. Mullai
• B. Marutham
• C. Neithal
• D. Kurinji

Question 3

The port of the Pandyas that was famous for its pearl fishery was:

• A. Muziris
• B. Korkai
• C. Puhar
• D. Tondi

Question 4

Karikala Chola defeated the Chera and Pandya kings in the battle of:

• A. Takkolam
• B. Talaikadu
• C. Kalinga
• D. Venni

Question 5

The Chera king Senguttuvan is associated with the worship of:

• A. Kotravai
• B. Murugan
• C. Pattini (Kannagi)
• D. Aiyanar

Answers and explanations

1. A. The Tolkappiyam, attributed to Tolkappiyar, is the oldest surviving Tamil grammar and has three parts: Ezhuthu, Sol and Porul. Nannul and Yapparungalam are later grammars, and the Silappathikaram is an epic.
2. D. Kurinji is the hilly region, associated with Murugan. Mullai is forest, Marutham is farmland and Neithal is the seashore.
3. B. Korkai, in the Pandya country, was the centre of pearl fishery. Muziris and Tondi were Chera ports, and Puhar was the Chola port.
4. D. Venni, near Thanjavur, is the battle in which Karikala is said to have won over a confederacy of the Cheras, Pandyas and eleven chieftains. Takkolam and Talaikadu are later battles of the Chola period, and Kalinga is a region.
5. C. Senguttuvan, the Chera king in the Silappathikaram, is linked with the cult of Pattini, the deified Kannagi. He is said to have brought a stone from the Himalayas to carve her image.

How to prepare the Sangam age

Learn the period through three tables, not through long paragraphs. The first is the table of kingdoms above. The second is a list of texts: the Ettuthokai contains Natrinai, Kuruntokai, Ainkurunuru, Patirruppattu, Paripadal, Kalittokai, Akananuru and Purananuru; the Pattuppattu includes Thirumurugarruppadai, Porunararruppadai, Sirupanarruppadai, Perumpanarruppadai, Mullaippattu, Maduraikkanchi, Nedunalvadai, Kurinjippattu, Pattinappalai and Malaipadukadam. The third is the thinai table.

Then add the connections that examiners like. Pattinappalai describes Puhar. The Thirukkural belongs to the later Pathinenkilkanakku group. The Silappathikaram and Manimekalai are epics linked to this age. Revise these links by writing "text, author, subject" on cards.

Keep an eye on spelling variants. Tamil names have several English spellings, so check the Tamil form where it is given in the question paper. Our TNPSC Thirukkural practice covers the one Sangam-era classic that appears by name in the syllabus, and TNPSC Cholas practice takes the story forward to the imperial period.

Take the full topic test on PrepMatic

Because Tamil Nadu history is a large share of General Studies, repeat it in a timed PrepMatic topic test (about 15 questions, 30 minutes) after each chapter. If you want questions in Tamil, choose Tamil as your exam language. The free assessment also shows how your General Studies score compares with the other subjects, which helps you decide how much time Sangam history deserves.

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